The present invention generally concerns grain chute devices and more particularly a portable grain chute adapted to be removably attached to a truck body under the grain gate in the side wall of the truck body.
Truck bodies or boxes are available in various designs adapted for particular purposes. One such common body type is a side dump body that is quite commonly used for hauling sugar beets, silage, and the like. Such side pump bodies are typically equipped with a lateral side wall that opens to dump its contents out the side of the body. A truck with this type of body or "beet box" is usually also equipped with a side lift hoist adapted to lift one side of the body so that the contents of the body gravity flow to the lower side. The openable side wall of the body is on the lower side when the hoist is raised, and it is pivotally attached at its bottom to the body floor so that it can be opened by folding it outwardly and downwardly to allow the contents of the body to flow out.
While the preferred use for such truck bodies is generally for hauling sugar beets, silage, and like commodities, it is not uncommon for the owners of trucks equipped with such bodies to also use them to haul other commodities such as small grains. Due to the common use of elevators, augers and the like, for transferring small grains to storage bins, it is not practical or desirable to unload small grains from the truck body by opening the entire side wall as is done when unloading sugar beets or the like. Therefore, such truck bodies or "beet boxes" are also commonly provided with one or more small grain gates in the foldable side wall of the body to accommodate emptying small grains from the body in a smaller more controlled stream of flow.
It is often desirable, however, when emptying small grains to use an additional grain chute attached to the side of the body under the grain gate to assist in further controlling and directing the stream of grain flowing from the body into an elevator or auger hopper, although it is somewhat undesirable to have such a grain chute permanently or even semi-permanently attached to the side of the body because it protrudes outwardly beyond the normal width of the truck body. Such an outward protrusion beyond the side of the truck body is an undesirable obstacle that constitutes a potential safety hazard and could even be illegal in some instances. Therefore, it is desirable to have a portable grain chute which is easily attachable to the side of the truck body while it is being emptied of small grain contents, yet which is easily detachable or removable as soon as the emptying operations are complete. Further, since the body is often emptied many times per day, particularly during harvest season when small grains are being hauled and unloaded continuously and when time is usually at a premium, the attachment and removal of the grain chute to and from the truck box must be simple, quick, and convenient, yet secure and stable during use. Until the development of the present invention, such a grain chute with all of the desirable characteristics has not been available for use on "beet box" type truck bodies.